In Episode #21

The hustle of Lewis Howes; from pro athlete to broke and injured, to online empire builder and best selling author.

Lewis Howes was playing professional football and had the world by its coattails. Then he got injured and lost it all, ending up sleeping on his sister’s sofa without any plans for the future.

That didn’t keep Lewis down for long, he reinvented himself to launch an online business, build a huge following, a massively successful podcast and a best-selling book. Lewis has been a friend for several years. He is someone I admire for his hustle and a guy who really values relationships and the power of mentors.

Lewis is no stranger to adversity. As a kid, Lewis experienced constant bullying and struggled to be accepted. He struggled with school and was consistently at the bottom of his class. He was embarrassed when the teachers called on him, because he couldn’t even read the most basic words out loud.

So how did he get from that bullied kid to his current level of success?

Listen to our interview to learn about the single event that Lewis leveraged for major growth, how he got his entrepreneurial beginnings and his three tips for developing a powerful brand.

In this episode, Lewis shares 7 secrets to his success including:

1

Get comfortable with the long road.

“Nobody wants to spend eight years on a dream. It’s not sexy hearing about a guy’s story who has spent eight years grinding it out every single day. For me, it has been an eight-year journey… coming full circle to where I’m at today, making the New York Times Best-Seller List.”

Entrepreneurs frequently give up because they believe they can meet their goals or become a millionaire in a ridiculously short period of time. That’s not how it works, it may be a daily hustle, but it’s not a sacrificial one. Lewis is doing what he loves, so this hustle is fueled by excitement, passion, and vision, but it didn’t happen overnight.

2

Get clear on what you want (and why you want it).

Staying consistent and building momentum over the long haul comes down to having a clear vision of who he wants to become and how he wants to impact the world. Lewis couldn’t get from his sister’s couch to best-selling author without some steps along the way. The first goal was getting a place of his own, then making $5,000 per month, then $10,000. This clarity helped Lewis build himself into the person he needed to be, and grow his following to be impactful in getting his message out into the world.

3

Get Humble

“I had to learn lot of humility and let go of my ego in so many ways in order for me to be where I’m at now.”

Even so, Lewis also knows he’s just scratching the surface of what is possible, and how much he has left to learn and grow in order to access that possibility.

4

Get Comfortable with pain

“I love pain. I love the pain because I know it’s the only way to achieve what I want.”

Lewis’ sports background means that he’s no stranger to pain. He knows what it was to be focused, to experience emotional, mental or physical discomfort at every single practice along the way. No, being an entrepreneur might not be quite the same as being sacked in the gut by a linebacker, but in order to be a successful entrepreneur one must embrace mental and emotional pain to get to the next level, and Lewis knows his background gave him an advantage.

5

Cultivate your environment

We all have the potential to get triggered, negatively charged or full of fear or feelings of worthlessness. Lewis is dedicated to following rituals and routines and surround myself with an environment of people that lift him into a better state of mind.

6

Show up and put it all on the table, no matter what!

Lewis doesn’t hold back in sharing how he went through is current book tour in the midst of major heartbreak. Sometimes we can’t show up at 100%, sometimes all you can do is your best in that moment and show up, and that is enough.

7

Be Vulnerable

One thing that Lewis is known for is how open and vulnerable he is through this work.

Contrary to what you might expect, this has only lead to more growth by leading to deeper connections. It was challenging in the beginning,but learning how much he was impacting lives with his courage, made vulnerability a practice worth continuing. In fact, Lewis has learned to trust that hesitation or fear of sharing too much as a sign that he needs to push forward.

”Have a coach to keep you accountable. You can’t achieve anything great on your own.